Not long after, Han Li stepped out of the tree hollow and took to the air on his flying tool.
However, this time as he made his way back, Han Li was even more cautious.
He kept his spiritual sense fully expanded at all times, and at the slightest hint of trouble, he would immediately conceal himself.
After all, given his current level of cultivation, encountering any cultivator by chance could prove extremely dangerous.
Thus, Han Li remained on high alert the entire journey, taking nearly half again as long as his initial trip before finally returning to the underground cave.
The moment he stepped into the Inverted Five Elements Array, he finally let out a genuine sigh of relief.
As for Qu Hun, he was still sitting motionless by the teleportation array in the same posture as when Han Li had first left. Seeing this, Han Li couldn't help but crack a smile.
Han Li knew that recovering his cultivation would take far more than three or four years, so he was in no rush to take pills and meditate.
Instead, in the days that followed, he devoted himself entirely to repairing the ancient teleportation array.
Given his current situation, trying to travel long distances to other countries in the chaotic cultivation world would be far too risky. His only hope was that once the ancient teleportation array was repaired, it would actually work.
Although Han Li's cultivation had greatly declined, it did not hinder his repair work.
After six or seven days of round-the-clock labor without sleep, all the repairs were complete.
Looking at the fully restored ancient teleportation array, even someone as calm as Han Li couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement.
The next step was the most critical one that would determine success or failure.
He needed to test whether the corresponding teleportation array at the other end still existed intact. If the array on the other side was similarly damaged or had long since ceased to exist, then this ancient teleportation array would naturally be unusable. He would have to abandon any thoughts of teleportation and find another way out.
With this thought, Han Li placed several low-grade spirit stones into slots around the perimeter of the teleportation array.
Once the last spirit stone was set in place, Han Li quickly stepped back a few paces and involuntarily held his breath.
The ancient formation, built untold years ago, suddenly emitted a low humming sound. A flash of yellow glow flickered across its surface, but just as quickly as a flash in the pan, it subsided back into silence.
Han Li's heart sank.
Could it be that the teleportation array on the other side had truly been abandoned? Then wouldn't everything he had done before have been for nothing?
Han Li's face was filled with disappointment.
But unwilling to give up entirely, he clasped his hands behind his back and began circling the teleportation array, his expression thoughtful from time to time.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, brows tightly furrowed, as if something had occurred to him.
He then bent down and pulled out one of the low-grade spirit stones he had just placed into the array.
The sight before him made Han Li suck in a sharp breath.
The spirit stone was white and utterly drained, not a trace of spiritual energy remaining.
Han Li's expression turned contemplative, and then a glimmer of joy appeared on his face.
Without a moment's hesitation, he reached into his storage pouch and pulled out several gleaming mid-grade spirit stones. He stepped forward and replaced the low-grade spirit stones one by one.
If his guess was correct, it wasn't that the teleportation array was broken. The low-grade spirit stones simply didn't have enough energy to power the ancient formation.
The moment the last spirit stone was swapped in, the teleportation array immediately emitted its low humming sound once more. Then it erupted with a tremendous spiritual wave, and from the center of the formation shot a blinding beam of yellow glow that pierced straight through the ceiling of the cave. Even the restrictions of the Inverted Five Elements Array had been unable to impede it in the slightest.
Seeing this, Han Li was momentarily stunned. But he quickly realized what this meant, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.
Almost simultaneously, a deafening rumble erupted from above the cave. Even with the great array's protection, Han Li felt as though the earth were trembling beneath him.
Han Li's expression grew even more tense. He quickly beckoned to Qu Hun at his side and walked to the edge of the teleportation array.
But at this moment, he couldn't help but hesitate. He truly had no idea what lay on the other side of the teleportation array. He had originally intended to first scout out what was on the other end and whether it was dangerous before deciding whether to stay there.
But now the ancient teleportation array had been exposed. Once he stepped through, there would be no turning back.
Just as Han Li was wavering, a thunderous explosion rang out so close it seemed right beside him, making him look up with a start.
The entire ceiling of the cave had been torn open by some unknown magical tool. Blazing sunlight poured in without mercy, illuminating everything inside with perfect clarity.
Outside the exposed cave, a large group of demonic path cultivators hovered in the air, equally shocked as they stared at Han Li and the ancient teleportation array glowing with yellow light.
"You again?" An angry, incredulous voice rang out from among the demonic cultivators.
The crowd parted, and three figures flew out from within.
The one in the center wore a silver mask—it was none other than Wang Chan, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect. Behind him stood two peculiar figures, one old and one young. The old one was white-haired and wrinkled, while the young one had white teeth and red lips, looking like a small child. They were the Li brothers, who had appeared at Yan Ling Fort.
"An ancient teleportation array!"
The moment the Li brothers saw the object bathed in yellow glow, they exchanged a glance and cried out simultaneously in delight.
Wang Chan was first taken aback, but then asked with wild joy:
"Esteemed elders, you are not mistaken? Is it truly that thing?" Wang Chan's voice trembled slightly. He knew all too well what a fully intact ancient teleportation array meant for a sect.
The elder of the Li brothers let out a raspy laugh and was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed and he barked sharply:
"Not good—the boy is going to use the teleportation array! Seize him now!" With that, the old man opened his mouth and a streak of dark black light shot straight at Han Li.
He knew that from the moment a teleportation array was activated to the actual teleportation, there was still a brief delay. And that brief window would be more than enough for him to destroy this junior several times over.
But the moment his treasure flew into the cave, a burst of radiance erupted. A five-colored barrier appeared and blocked the black light.
The old man was momentarily stunned, but then his expression turned savage as he roared:
"All of you, attack together! This kid has set up a formation array. We must break it immediately, or it will be too late!"
Only then did the demonic cultivators behind him snap out of their daze. Magical tools of every description were unleashed at once—even the younger Li brother and Wang Chan were not idle, sending both their magical tools and treasures hurtling downward with vicious force.
Han Li's Inverted Five Elements Array was merely a simplified temporary formation. Under the combined assault of two Core Formation stage cultivators and so many others, the five-colored barrier immediately began to waver, showing signs of imminent collapse.
By now, Han Li had already pulled Qu Hun to stand at the center of the teleportation array.
He held a token-shaped magical tool aloft in one hand, eyes tightly shut, lips moving in incantation, completely ignoring the barrage of attacks from the demonic cultivators.
"The Grand Shift Token! This kid actually has that artifact?" The old man recognized the shape of the token in Han Li's hand and let out an exasperated roar.
He then brought both hands together in a fierce gesture, and a massive torrent of black light threads surged from his palms, blasting toward the barrier below.
The great array let out several mournful wails before finally buckling under the crushing weight of this last straw.
The five-colored barrier exploded!
With nothing to block them, the multicolored beams of light surged toward Han Li without hesitation, their momentum terrifyingly fierce.
At that moment, Han Li opened his tightly shut eyes and spoke two words from his lips, each one colder than ice.
"Teleport."
Instantly, the yellow light blazed brilliant. The figures of Han Li and Qu Hun vanished within the yellow glow without a trace.
Every attack struck nothing but empty air.
Above the cave, the demonic cultivators stood rooted to the spot, dumbstruck.
Wang Chan and the Li brothers were even more livid with rage. None of them possessed a Grand Shift Token, so naturally there was no way for them to follow Han Li.
A moment later, the yellow light on the teleportation array flickered once and vanished.
Seeing this, Wang Chan and his group, who had been watching nearby the whole time, were seething with fury.
They knew perfectly well that Han Li, having been teleported away, must have destroyed the teleportation array on the other end. Even if they managed to find a Grand Shift Token, they could never use this ancient teleportation array again.
But Wang Chan, burning with resentment, was still unwilling to accept this.
Using his authority as the young sect master, he stationed several cultivators to guard the site around the clock, fearing that the escaped Han Li might return to repair the teleportation array and use it again.
If that happened, he would personally capture Han Li alive and repay him thoroughly for his repeated interference in his plans.
But not long after, as the demonic path's expansion marched forward once more, this young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect took up his life of conquest anew, and the matter soon slipped from his mind entirely.
And without Han Li, the cultivation world of Tian Nan remained embroiled in chaos for a long time.
A year or two later, in order to counter the growing power of the demonic path and the Righteous Alliance, the remaining nations finally united to form the Heavenly Dao Council, establishing a three-way balance of power.
The three factions were roughly equal in strength, so battles raged on endlessly with no decisive victory in sight for the foreseeable future.
As for the cultivators of the Six Sects who had fled abroad, they finally settled down within the Nine Kingdoms Alliance. But over matters of spirit veins, mineral deposits, and other resources, they reignited conflict with some of the local sects, fighting to secure a foothold. Of course, should the Fa Shi of the Mulan tribe invade the Nine Kingdoms Alliance, they would naturally be expected to contribute their share of manpower and effort, no longer able to live as freely as they had in the Kingdom of Yue.
In the end, many Foundation Establishment stage cultivators of the Six Sects, and even some Core Formation stage experts, perished in the battles against the Fa Shi. Han Li's own master, Li Huayuan, was also killed on the battlefield over a decade later during an exceptionally fierce clash.
Nevertheless, the new generation of cultivators among the Six Sects grew rapidly. Even among the Foundation Establishment cultivators, some finally managed to break through into the Core Formation stage...